1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soil sampling device and, more particularly, to such a device which is adapted to take soil samples and mix each separate soil sample together all while being moved across the field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the ever increasing demand for food around the world there is an ever increasing demand on the farmer to produce the most crops from his limited number of acres. Various chemicals and fertilizers have been developed which greatly improve the growth characteristics of plants. These fertilizers can be made so that they add the necessary nutriments to a plant which the soil is lacking and without the addition of other nutriments which the soil may be saturated with. In order to determine the characteristics of the soil to determine which type of crop to be planted and also which type of fertilizer to use, the soil of the field to be planted must be analyzed.
In order to analyze the soil an individual normally would have to go into the field and by hand scoop up a number of soil samples which are mixed and later analyzed within a laboratory. As can be seen, when trying to take samples from a very large field it can be a very time consuming process. Certain devices have been developed which are mounted to a vehicle wherein whenever a soil sample is to be taken the vehicle is stopped and a probe is inserted into the soil which removes a small amount of the soil to be analyzed. These devices reduce the time which used to be spent taking a field soil sample however the vehicle still has to be stopped when the soil sample was taken.
There is a need for a soil sampler which may be mounted to a vehicle and more importantly is adapted to take soil samples while the vehicle is moving.